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Nutrition Tips
Keeping Food Safe
Have you ever cooked
something and had to guess if it was done? Most people have, but "guessing"
when your food is done, can be dangerous. Food borne illness affects 33 million
Americans every year and is often caused by eating under-cooked meat, poultry,
fish or eggs.
Follow these suggestions to keep food safe for your family:
- A meat thermometer is your best friend when it comes to cooking safe food. Cook
ground meat and pork to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don't have a
thermometer, red meat is done when it is brown or gray inside. You can allow
large cuts of meat, such as beef roasts and steaks to stay lightly pink in the
center as long as the meat has reached a temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
E. Coli is a dangerous bacteria found in red meat that's not fully cooked.
- Cook chicken and
turkey to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don't have a thermometer, chicken and
turkey is done when the juices run clear-not pink. Salmonella is a common
bacteria found in poultry that's not fully cooked
- Cook eggs until the
yolk and white are firm, not runny. Scrambled eggs should have a firm texture.
Never use recipes that call for eggs to remain raw or partially cooked, like in
egg nog and Caesar salad dressing. Salmonella is a dangerous bacteria that can
grow inside of fresh, unbroken eggs and cause food poisoning if eggs are not
fully cooked.
See the links under Food Safety for
more information.
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